In London, a massive fire burns millions in goods and kills the head of the London Fire Brigade

At the end of the London work day in one of the massive warehouses along the Thames in Southwark employees discovered a fire in a stack of jute.  Within hours this had become a blaze that burned dozens of buildings, killed the head of the London Fire Brigade, and burned for days.  James Braidwood, the popular and efficient head of the insurance company run London Fire Engine Establishment, was killed in an explosion while fighting the fire.  Losses to goods and structures were in the millions of pounds sterling.  The burned-out warehouses smouldered for months. (By John Osborne)